Banking system demolished due to RSS control of institutions: Rahul

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday accused the Narendra Modi government of "disrespecting" and "demolishing" various institutions by having Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) men "sitting in every ministry and giving orders."

During his 55-minute interaction with the city's business community here on second day his Janasahirvada Yatra in Central Karnataka, Rahul said that if voted to power, the Congress would free all these institutions from the RSS control.

"I don't know if you all know that in every single minister's office, there is an RSS man sitting and giving orders. So what can you expect... nothing but disrespecting the institutions. The banking system of the country has been demolished by having this structure," the Congress chief said.

"Who is Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksey? These are the people who arise when you don't respect the financial institutions like the Reserve Bank of India."

"We are also seeing Piyush Goyal (with scam tumbling out)," he said.

Fugitive diamond merchant Modi and his uncle Choksey are at the centre of the Punjab National Bank fraud. On Tuesday, Rahul had attacked Railway Minister Piyush Goyal for his alleged links to the promoter of a company in default of Rs 650 crore.

He said former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan had advised against demonetisation.

Rahul claimed that the chief economic advisor, the Union finance minister and the entire Cabinet were unaware of the demonetisation plans of the prime minister. "The entire Cabinet was locked up prior to the demonetisation. They (Cabinet ministers) were not let out of the room," he alleged.

Asked how the Congress would solve the unemployment problem, he said it would do so by encouraging small and medium scale businesses in construction, agriculture and other sectors.

Rahul said China is successfully creating jobs because its government imparts skill training to its workforce. "In Modiji's government, there is no talk on (imparting) skills," he said.

Banks should give loans also to small and medium scale entrepreneurs, but this benefit is being usurped by 15 big names in Indian business. "Anil Ambani has Rs 45,000 crore of loan and to help him, the Rafale (fighter jet) contract was given to him," Rahul said.

The Congress president said incidents of communal violence and attacks on Dalits, minorities and tribals have increased in the country after the Modi government came to power.